ALL HANDS ON DECK

How Tyrone emerged from the pack to become a leading light

- Garry DOYLE

IT wasn't that Tyrone were an irrelevance. No, throughout the first 100 years of the GAA, they had won people's respect.

Their problem was they won precious little else.

The bottom line is that up until the GAA's centenary year, Gaelic football had two permanent superpowers and everyone else either came and went - or else weren't seen at all.

And Tyrone were stuck in the latter category.

These are the facts.

In 1983, 99 years after the GAA was formed, Tyrone had three Ulster senior Championships and three minor All-Irelands engraved onto their honours board.

But in the 42 years since, the etcher has been carving history.

Until 1986, they had never appeared in an All-Ireland final.

They've since been to seven.

Until 2003, they had never won an All-Ireland. They now have four.

Until 1998, they had won three minor All-Irelands.

They now have nine, the latest arriving last Sunday.

Until 1990, they had never won an Under-21 All-Ireland.

They now have eight.

And that's before we mention the two National Leagues, the six All-Ireland Vocational schools titles, the 13 Ulster senior titles, picked up since 1984.

Someone should write a book about that year, for that was when it all changed for Tyrone, when the foundation stones were built which saw them turn from an easy touch into a genuine football superpower.

"I'm not comfortable with the word 'superpower' being attached to us," says Benny Hurl, who was involved in the management team that won a minor All-Ireland last week.

"A lot of hard work goes on in Tyrone for sure, but hard work takes place all over Ireland. It's not just us."

Perhaps so, but it's clear that Tyrone work smart as well as hard.